Casting plug



y 1941- w. ADAMS 2,242,965

CASTING PLUG Filed March 28, 1940 INVENTOR WALTER L. KID/1M5 ATTORNEYS Patented May 26, 1941 UNITED STTES CASTING PLUG Application March 28, 1940, Serial No. 326,402

11 Claims.

This invention is designed to improve upon the form and construction of casting plugs such as used for practicing bait casting and for tournament and contest work. Plugs of this type are used in considerable quantities for the purposes specified but have heretofore been made exclusively of wood with an inserted lead plug to impart the necessary weight. In this type of device it is very important that the weight of the plug be accurately determined and that the center of gravity be located at an exact point for accuracy in casting. It has been difficult to meet these exacting requirements because of the varying densities of the wood employed which requires that the plugs be accurately graded to determine the exact weight of the lead filler to be employed. The location of the lead filler is not easy to determine, and the center of gravity is not certain.

The insertion of the lead filler has always been from the forward end of the plug, the hole which is thereby formed being closed with a wooden stopper which frequently gives way during casting, permitting the lead weight to fly out of the plug.

The present invention has for its object the construction of a plug from a molded plastic material such, for example, as the plastic known by the trade name Tenite. In making the plug it has been found desirable to form it in three pieces, a forward rounded hollow head, an elongated hollow stem or tail piece and a centrally located ballast to impart the exact weight desired. When the parts are properly formed they are assembled and securely joined by a coating or luting of cement. As the weight is placed interiorly of the body before the two main portions thereof are joined, it may be cut to the exact dimensions required and may be located in the exact position to locate the center of gravity at the exact point desired.

It is also an object of the invention to form projections on the side of the body at the meeting line of the two sections so as to prevent the plug from rolling unduly, and a further object is to provide an improved means of securing the screw eye by which the line is attached so as to protect the screw eye from injury.

These and other objects of the invention will be apparent from the detailed description of the invention which is given here, but it will be understood that exact conformity with the details is not essential, and variations and modifications may be adopted without departing from the features of invention set forth in the claims.

In the drawing, in which the best known and preferred form of the invention is shown:

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in section, showing the completed plug;

Figure 2 is a section, and Figure 3 and end View, of the forward section or head of the plug;

Figure 4 is a side view, and Figure 5 and end view, of the weight which is located in the center of the plug;

Figure 6 is an end view and Figure '7 a section, of the rear end or stem portion of the plug.

It will be understood that the three parts or sections of the completed plug are made of any moldable plastic substance such as is well known in the arts. 'I'enite has been selected but other well known plastics, usually of the type referred to as artificial resins, may be employed. The parts may be of any color or combination of colors, and the exact configuration of the parts may be changed, that form shown being the standard shape of casting plug or weight. The several parts are assembled and are preferably joined by any of the well known cements which are used for this purpose, the lines of the cement being shown by the heavy lines appearing in Fig. 1. As the several parts are individually cast, the weight and balance of the plug may be accurately determined and maintained.

The forward section or head of the plug is formed as a molded cup-like body I having its forward end thickened as shown for reenforcement at the point where the plug strikes the floor or ground. At its open end it is formed with a raised flange 2, preferably tapered to fit a similarly shaped socket 3 in the stem or rear section l. On the interior of the head I are formed the ribs-6, shown as four in number which form a pocket to receive and hold in centrally located position the weighted cylinder 1, the end of which may be rounded to fit the bottom of the cup.

In the manufacture of these articles, exactness in weight and accuracy in location of the center of gravity are of vital importance. The ballast l is molded to exact dimensions but may be trimmed or reduced in circumference to vary the total weight of the plug and is in its position with its forward end nesting against the interior of the cup-shaped head. This may all be determined to secure any desired result and gives to the combination a range of control and accuracy and durability impossible with the old leaded wooden plug.

The tail piece 4 is formed as a hollow elongated cone fitting the head as described. In the rear end is seated the screw eye in by which the line is attached, it being noted that in the end of the tail piece a socket or recess is molded to receive a portion of the round screw eye so that it is protected by the body. This is an advantage over the wooden plug as any attempt to partially embed the screw eye will result in a construction which is readily chipped or broken on striking an object.

On the mating edges of the sections I and 4 which are located at the maximum diameter of the plug, are formed the molded buttons or projections l 2, usually three in number which retard the rolling of the plug. These knobs are streamlined as shown which not only prevents any interference with the trajectory of the plug but also permits one half of each button to be molded with each part, and. affords the necessary draft to permit removal of the section from the mold.

.It will be seen that a new and novel form of casting plug has been provided which affords many advantages over the old wooden plugs which have been universally used heretofore.

What is claimed is:

1. A casting plug comprising a head section,

a tail section, and an interior weight member located on the axis of the plug and permanently attached to the head section. 2. A casting plug comprising a head section, a tail section joined to the head section about the line of the largest diameter of the plug, and an axially located weight secured within the interior of the plug, all of said'elements being made of a moldable plastic material.

3. A casting plug comprising a head section, a tail section, both formed of a molded plastic and joined about the line of the largest diameter of the plug, and a centrally located weight interiorly of the body and adhesively secured to one of said sections.

4. A casting plug comprising a hollow head section, a hollow tail section, and a weight located within the body, one of said sections having inwardly projecting ribs to locate the Weight, all of said elements being formed of a molded plastic substance, and permanently joined into a single body.

5. A casting plug comprising a hollow head section having interiorly located ribs, a weight located in said head section and held in position head section and a hollow conical tail section, a flange formed on one section and a mating socket formed on the other section, a plurality of ribs formed on the interior of one of said sections to form a pocket, and a weight located within said pocket.

9. A casting plug comprising a cup-shaped head section and a hollow conical tail section, a flange formed on one section and a mating socket formed on the other section, a plurality of ribs formed on the interior of one of said sections to form a pocket, and a weight located within said pocket, all of said elements being formed of a molded plastic material and. all permanently joined.

10. A casting plug comprising a cup-shaped head section and a hollow conical tail section, a flange formed on one section and a mating socket formed on the other section, a plurality of ribs formed on the interior of the head section to form a pocket, and a weight located within said pocket.

11. A casting plug formed lirom a molded plastic material in three sections, namely, a hollow head section, a hollow tail section, and an interior weight located partially in each section.

WALTER L. ADAMS.

8. A casting plug comprising a cup-shaped 

